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TALES OF OLD 
NEW YORK 



HE INDIAN AND DUTCH PERIODS 



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ALBERT ULMANN 

AND 

GRACE C. STRACHAN 




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GOFYRIGIIT DEPOSIT. 



TALES OF 
OLD NEW YORK 



TALES OF 
OLD NEW YORK 

PART I 
THE INDIAN AND DUTCH PERIODS 



BY 

ALBERT IJLMANN 

AUTHOR OF "a landmark HISTORY OF NEW TORk" 

AND 

GRACE C. STRACHAN 

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CITY OF NEW YORK 




ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK AND LONDON 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1914 



a^ 



Copyright, 1914, by 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 



Printed in the United States of America 



NOV -5 1914 

©CI.A38734a 



FOREWORD 

To THE Children op the City of New York: 

We congratulate you upon the fact that you live in this 
gTeat city. The city loves you and we are sure that you love 
the city — that you are proud of it and that you will be glad to 
render it service, so that it shall become even greater, more 
beautiful and more renowned. 

The more you know about the city the deeper will be your 
feeling of pride and the stronger your desire to do something 
that will add to its good name. Read in this little book how 
the first settlers struggled and suffered while they built the 
beginnings of the city that has now become so great, and you 
will feel like doing your share no matter how small it may 
seem to be. The greater the city, the greater the task to 
maintain its greatness; wherefore all must render service. 

A. U. 

a. c. s. 



OATH OF THE 
ATHENIAN YOUTH 



"WE WILL NEV'ER BRING DISGRACE TO THIS, OUR CITY, BY ANY 
ACT OF DISHONESTY OR COWARDICE, NOR EVER DESERT OUR SUFFERING 
COMRADES IN THE RANKS. WE AVILL FIGHT FOR THE IDEALS AND 
SACRED THINGS OF THE CITY, BOTH ALONE AND WITH MANY. WE 
WILL REVERE AND OBEY THE CITY'S LAWS AND DO OUR BEST TO 
INCITE A LIKE RESPECT AND REVERENCE IN THOSE ABOUT US WHO 
ARE PRONE TO ANNUL OR TO SET THEM AT NAUGHT. WE WILL STRIVE 
UNCEASINGLY TO QUICKEN THE PUBLIC'S SENSE OF CIVIC DUTY. 
THUS, IN ALL THESE WAYS WE WILL TRANSMIT THIS CITY TO THOSE 
NOT LESS, BUT GREATER, BETTER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN IT WAS 
TRANSMITTED TO US.'' 



MY CITY, 'TIS OF THEE 

My city, 'tis of thee, 
Mighty on land and sea, 

Of thee I sing. 
Under broad heaven's dome, 
Far though from thee I roam, 
Still art thou e'er my home; 

To thee I cling. 

Isle where the Hudson flows, 
Isle where the sea wind blows. 

Of thee I sing. 
To thy brave pioneers. 
Who in thy early years 
Held thee through blood and tears. 

Homage I bring. 

Isle of the glorious bay. 
Isle of fair freedom's sway, 

Of thee I sing. 
Home once of Washington, 
City of Hamilton; 
Of every worthy son. 

Let praises ring. 

Mistress of all the West, 
Long may thy sway be blest, 

Of thee I sing. 
On all thy people here, 
Bestow abundant cheer; 
Greater grow year by year — 

This prayer I bring. 

— ^Albeet Ulmann. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Indians of Manhattan Island — The Discov- 
ery OF THE Hudson . . . . . .1 

II. The First Traders 20 

III. Peter Minuit, 1626-1632 „ 24 

IV. Walter Van Twiller, 1633-1637 .... 32 
V. William Kieft, 1638-1647 37 

VI. New Amsterdam as It Appeared in Kieft's Time . 50 

VII. Peter Stuyvesant, 1647-1664 59 

VIII. Dutch Ways and Dutch Holidays .... 80 

Index 83 



LIOT OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



The Purchase of Manhattan Island 



Frontispiece 

PAGE 



Indian Relics Found on Manhattan Island 
Verrazzano Monument in Batteiy Park . 
Henry Hudson ....... 

Arrival of the Half Moon .... 

Statue of Henry Hudson by Karl Bitter . 

Earliest View of New Amsterdam . . . . „ 

Bronze Tablet in the Vestibule of the Custom House 
View of a Fortified Indian Village ..... 

Map of New Amsterdam in 1642 ..... 

Cattle Fair — Bowling Green ...... 

View of Broad Street, 1659 ...... 

A View of the City Hall of New Amsterdam . 

Section of Old Jewish Cemetery Dedicated During Stuy 
vesant's Time ........ 

Peter Stuyvesant. Oil Painting ..... 

View of the Wall and the Water Gate at the Foot of Wall 
Street .......... 

New Amsterdam as It Appeared During Stuyvesant's Time 

The "Ratel-Wacht," the First Police Force on Manhattan 
Island ....... 

Peter Stuyvesant. Statue 

Stuyvesant's Country House .... 

Stuyvesant's Pear Tree ..... 

Stuyvesant's Town House, Erected in 1658 

Peter Stuyvesant's Tombstone .... 

The Flouiishing Little Town of New Amsterdam 



TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

CHAPTER I 

THE INDIANS OF MANHATTAN ISLAND— THE DISCOV- 
ERY OF THE HUDSON 

There was a time many years ago when there was 
no city of New York — no streets, no houses, no ships, 
no bridges. Then as now the rivers flowed into the 
bay, bnt the hills and the valleys were covered with a 
rough growth of trees and shrubs, and wild beasts 
roamed about seeking their prey by day and filling the 
air with their howls by night. 

At such a time — ^we do not know when — the Indians 
came and, finding that there was good hunting and fish- 
ing, set up their wigwams and became the first settlers 
of this region. 

The Indians who settled here were known as Wap- 
pingers or Easterners and formed a part of the great 
Algonquin family that spread from Newfoundland to 
the Rocky Mountains. They painted their faces red, 
blue, and yellow. This gave them a truly terrible ap- 
pearance. Some dressed in deerskins and others in 
mantles of feathers. Around their necks they hung 
red copper tobacco pipes and other articles of copper. 



2 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

They baked bread; prepared a sort of porridge in 
which they mixed little beans; had plenty of fish and 
oysters, and did not hesitate to eat cooked snakes, 
frogs, badgers, dogs and eagles. 

We know all this because some of the Europeans 
who came here in the early days wrote books in which 
they described the country and the Indians. Copies of 
these books are still in existence and are very valuable. 
Some may be seen in the library of the New York His- 
torical Society. Also, there is an exceedingly interest- 
ing collection of Indian relics in the Museum of Natu- 
ral History. It contains arrow-points dug up in a cel- 
lar on Avenue A above 120th Street, pottery found at 
Broadway and 220th Street, a circular hammer-stone 
and a tomahawk discovered at 118th Street near Ninth 
Avenue, and a number of other articles found at vari- 
ous places. 

Manhattan is an Indian name, but just what it 
means is a puzzle. There are several explanations 
and it is impossible to say which one is correct. One 
states that it means ^'an island formed by the tide'^; 
another, that it is ''the island of the hills"; another 
tells us that it was called ''the place of the whirlpool'* 
because of the rushing waters of Hell Gate ; while still 
another would have us believe that it is the Indian ex- 
pression for "a place of drunkenness.'* 

The last explanation, which is certainly a surpris- 
ing one, arises from an old tradition, Traditions, be- 



INDIANS OF MANHATTAN ISLAND 




Amulet 




Tooth of Beaver 




hi 



Arrow Points made from Deer Horn. 




Banner or Ceremonial Stone 




Soapstone Pipes with Human Features 



Drawn by W. L. Calver. 
Indian Relics Found on Manhattan Island 



ing stories told and retold by many persons, soon be- 
come changed, so that after a time very little of the 
real truth remains. However, traditions are gener- 
ally interesting, and because they contain some truth, 
they continue to be repeated. 

This particular tradition tells us that a long time 



4 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

ago the Lidians did not know there were any people 
who had white skins. One day some Indians who had 
been out fishing somewhere in the neighborhood of 
what is now called the Battery, saw a large strange 
object floating in the water at a great distance. They 
hurried back to shore and related what they had seen. 
Everybody now began to watch the strange object, but 
no one could tell what it was. Some thought it was a 
large fish; others that it was a huge floating house. 
The more the Indians looked, the more they wondered ; 
and at last, not being able in any other way to explain 
what they saw, they made up their minds that the 
Great Spirit, the mighty Mannitto, had come to pay 
them a visit. In the meantime, runners having been 
sent out, chiefs came from all directions. Then they 
began to arrange to give the great Mannitto a proper 
reception. The women were set to work to prepare 
things to eat, the idols were put in order, and arrange- 
ments were made for a grand dance. 

All this time the floating object was coming nearer. 
It looked like a house of many colors and seemed 
crowded with living creatures. After a while the In- 
dians saw that the living creatures were men ; but they 
noticed that their skin was light, and that their man- 
ner of dress was strange. As they stared in wonder, 
something like a canoe dropped over the side and 
rested on the water. Soon it was filled with men and 
was rowed toward the shore. The watchers noticed 



INDIANS OF MANHATTAN ISLAND 5 

that one of the men was dressed all in red. While this 
was happening, the Indian chiefs had formed a large 
circle. Into this circle came the red-clothed man fol- 
lowed by two others. He saluted in a friendly way, 
and the Indians returned the salute after their own 
manner. They were sure he was the great Mannitto. 
They had never seen a red covering such as he wore. 
It shone like the setting sun. His skin, too, was won- 
derful, but why, thought they, was it white? 

One of the white men now brought forth a gourd and 
poured out something into a cup which he handed to 
the stranger whom the Indians regarded as the Man- 
nitto. The latter drank, and the cup was filled again 
and handed to a chief. The chief took it, smelled at it 
and passed it to the next one. Each in turn did the 
same, and so the cup came back untasted. As it was 
about to be returned to the red-clothed man, one of the 
chiefs, a spirited man and a great warrior, jumped up, 
and proclaimed that it would be an insult to return 
untasted the cup from which the radiant stranger had 
drunk, that it might make the Mannitto angry, and 
that it was better for one man to die than for a whole 
nation to be destroyed. Then announcing that he 
would drink, no matter what happened, he took the 
cup, bade farewell to the assembly, and drank. All 
watched him with intense interest. They saw him 
stagger and fall to the ground. His eyes closed, and 
the other chiefs thought he was about to die. But sud- 



6 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

denly he awoke, jumped up, declared that he never felt 
happier in his life, and asked for more. Then they all 
wanted some, and soon all Avere intoxicated. 

No doubt, the Indians were made dizzy by the 
strong drink the white men gaye them, but we do not 
believe that the name Manhattan is connected with any 
such event. Li the first place, the Indians were in 
the habit of taking names that described scenery, such 
as Onondaga, ^'tlie people who live on the hill.'' 
Secondly, according to a careful Dutch writer, the 
Indians, excepting the poor class that came to the 
white villages, did not care for strong drink. In fact, 
the good Indians called the drunken ones fools. It is 
not likely, therefore, that they would take a name 
meaning that they were a tribe of fools. It is much 
more likely that the name means ''the place of the 
whirlpool, ' ' as there was nothing more wonderful than 
that near Manhattan Island. 

As you remember, Columbus first beheld the land 
of this hemisphere in 1492. Thirty-two years later, in 
1524, an Italian named Verrazzano, engaged by the 
King of France, sailed into our bay and looked with 
admiration upon its beautiful waters, upon the green 
hills that surrounded it, and upon the noble river be- 
yond; but he did not remain long, his mission being 
to find a way to reach Asia. 

During the Hudson-Fulton celebration which took 
place in New York in 1909, a monument to Verrazzano 




Verbazzano Monument in Battery Park 



8 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

was dedicated in Battery Park by Italian citizens. A 
bright little girl unveiled the monument and in the 
presence of a great crowd of people, said : 

^^I am proud to unveil on this day with my little 
hand a monument which ought to be a cause of grate- 
fulness for all New Yorkers, for it was Giovanni de 
Verrazzano who discovered these waters of the North 
Eiver. All who are present know what history says; 
but children like myself do not know it. I would like 
that all the children of New York should know that it 
was an Italian who discovered the island of Manhat- 
tan. I would like that all the chiklren of New 
York should repeat in this moment with me: * Hur- 
rah for Verrazzano!' 'Hurrah for Italy!' * Hurrah 
for America!' '* 

The year after Verrazzano sailed into New York 
Bay, that is, in 1525, a Spaniard named Estevan Gomez 
visited these parts. He, also, sought a passage to 
Asia, and, not finding it, sailed away again. 

After Verrazzano 's visit, for nearly twenty-five 
years, French fur traders came, traded with the In- 
dians and built block houses on Manhattan Island and 
on the site of what is now the city of Albany. Then, 
probably because of wars in which France was en- 
gaged, they stopped coming. 

Many years then passed and no white men appeared. 
The Indians must have wondered what had become of* 
them. The stories related by the old men to their 



INDIANS OF MANHATTAN ISLAND 9 

sons, no doubt, kept them continually watching for the 
coming of the pale-faced people. Perhaps they began 
to think there were no such people. But one day, in 
September, 1609, a large, strange boat was discovered 
coming slowly up the bay. Then great excitement 
broke forth among the Indians. 

The captain of the strange boat was Henry Hudson, 
an Englishman. His father and his grandfather 
had followed the sea and had 
explored the unknown Arctic 
Ocean. Henry did likewise, 
hoping to pass across the 
North Pole and find a way by 
water to the eastern seaports 
of Asia. He did not find what 
he was seeking but he ad- 
vanced nearer to the pole 

. , . , , Henry Hudson 

than any other man had done. 

This made him famous, and the Dutch East India Com- 
pany engaged his services. 

The Dutch East India Company was composed of 
Holland merchants. Its ships brought tea from China, 
coffee from Arabia, and pepper from the spice islands 
near the Philippines. They had to sail all the way 
around the Cape of Good Hope to reach these places 
and they were eager to find a shorter route. 

Hudson was on the way about five months. He left 
Holland in April, 1609, in what we would nowadays 




10 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

call a small yaclit, manned by a crew of eighteen or 
twenty men. His boat was named the Half Moon. Af- 
ter wandering about, and stopping at a number of 
places, he sailed into our glorious bay on a day early 
in September, when the country all around looked 
very beautiful. 

Fortunately, we know exactly what happened on 
that interesting occasion, as the ship's mate kept a 
diary. ^ ^ The people of the country, ' ' he wrote, ^ ^ came 
aboard of us, seeming very glad of our coming, and 
brought greene tobacco, and gave us of it for knives 
and beads. . . . Some women, also, came to us w^itli 
hempe. They did wear about their necks things of red 
copper. At night they went on land again, so we rode 
very quiet, but durst not trust them." 

In fact, a day or two later they killed one of Hud- 
son's sailors. It happened in this way. The weather 
being fair, Hudson sent out four men under John 
Coleman, an Englishman, to explore the neighborhood. 
They found that the land was ^ ^ as pleasant with grasse 
and flowers and goodly trees as ever they had scene 
and very sweet smells came from them." On their 
way back they were set upon by two canoes, one of 
which carried twelve, and the other fourteen Indians. 
Coleman was wounded in the neck. As night came on, 
it began to rain and their light went out. A little later 
Coleman died. Two of the others had been hurt, and 
so there were but two to manage the boat. It had 



DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON 11 

grown so dark that they could not find the ship, but 
they kept on rowing back and forth until daylight. It 
was ten o'clock in the morning when they returned to 
the ship, bringing the dead man with them. Soon 
afterwards they carried him to the land and buried 
him, and named the place after him, calling it Cole- 
man's Point. 

Hudson remained in the bay for several days. It 
was fine September weather. The Indians came al- 
most every day and appeared to be friendly, but the 
crew watched them carefully. One morning, twenty- 
eight canoes full of men, women and children ap- 
proached the Half Moon, but the sailors would not let 
any of them come aboard. They brought oysters and 
beans which they exchanged for beads and other trifles, 
and they had with them large tobacco pipes of yellow 
copper, and earthen pots in which they dressed their 
meat. 

About the middle of the month Hudson began mak- 
ing his way up the river, passing the Palisades and the 
Highlands, the beauty of which he looked upon with de- 
light. He speaks of the mountains that rose up from 
the water's edge in terms of admiration. He describes 
the natives of those parts as being loving people and 
very friendly, and refers to the number of old men 
among them. 

One afternoon, somewhere in the neighborhood of 
the city that bears his name, Hudson visited an Indian 



12 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

settlement. ''I sailed to the shore/' he relates, ''in 
one of their canoes, with an old man, who was the chief 
of a trihe, consistini]^ of forty men and seventeen 
women. These I saw there in a house well constructed 
of oak bark, circular in shape, with the appearance of 
having a vaulted ceiling. It contained a great quan- 
tity of maize and beans of the last year's growth, and 
there lay near the house for the purpose of drying, 
enough to load three ships, besides what was growing 
in tiie fields. On our coming into the house, two mats 
were spread out to sit upon, and immediately some 
food was served in well-made red wooden bowls ; two 
men were also despatched at once with bows and ar- 
rows in quest of game, who soon after brought in a 
pair of pigeons which they had shot. They likewise 
killed at once a fat dog, and skinned it in great haste, 
with shells which they get out of the water. They 
supposed that I would remain with them for the night, 
but I returned after a short time on board the ship. 
The land is the finest for cultivation that I ever in my 
life set foot upon, and it also abounds in trees of every 
description. The natives are a very good people ; for 
when they saw that I would not remain, they supposed 
that I was afraid of their bows, and taking the arrows 
they broke them in pieces, and threw them into the 
fire." 

The next day, Hudson sailed further up the river, 
continuing to hope that he would find the path to Asia. 



DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON 13 

In this hope, as we know, he was disappointed. Sor- 
rowfully he turned the Half Moon about and came 
down stream. The Indians paid him visits as before, 
most of them being friendly and bringing either food 
or skins of beavers and other animals. 

Not all of them, however, were such good people. 
When the Half Moon came nearer to Manhattan 
Island where the Indians were more warlike than 
the tribes further up the river, the natives came out 
in their canoes and shot their arrows at the crew. 
The latter discharged their muskets and killed several 
of the warriors. Then more than a hundred came to a 
point of land and sent out their arrows. Again, the 
Europeans fired their muskets and killed some of the 
party on the land. The rest then fled into the woods, 
but soon came back again, filled a canoe with nine or 
ten men, and began a new attack. Several of these 
were shot, and finally the Half Moon got clear of the 
Indians and made its way across the river toward 
the shore where Hoboken now stands. 

This happened on the second of October, 1609. Two 
days later, Hudson passed out of the bay and set sail 
for home. The next spring he tried again, going out 
on that occasion in the service of England ; and after a 
hard voyage reached the great inland water ever since 
known as Hudson ^s Bay. Here his ship was caught 
in the ice and blocked for seven months. At the end 
of that time some of the crew mutinied, and placing 




Arrival of the Half Moon 

Henry Hudson Memorial Window, placed in the Library of the New York Histor- 
ical Society by the Daughters of Holland Dames. Designed and executed by the 
Gorham Company. 



DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON 15 

Hudson with his son and seven sick men in a boat, set 
them adrift. Nothing was ever heard of the party 
afterwards, and we can only imagine their terrible 
suffering and death. 

Hudson was a brave and fearless man. His end 
was one of the saddest events in history. It is true 
that he failed to find the route to Asia, but we owe him 
a great debt, as it was through his report of what he 
had observed that the Dutch founded a settlement on 
Manhattan Island. 

The noble river that bears his name will always be 
the most fitting reminder of Hudson's visits to our 
shores. Appropriately, also, one of the city's streets 
honors his memory. Furthermore, a bronze statue 
above the entrance of the Exchange Court Building at 
52 Broadway, serves to remind those who come and go, 
in that busy part of the town, of the fame of the bold 
navigator. More impressive, however, will be the ma- 
jestic monument planned on the occasion of the Hud- 
son-Fulton Celebration, three hundred years after 
Hudson's discovery. The place selected is the top of 
Spuyten Duyvil Hill. The monument when finished will 
consist of a column the top of which will be three hun- 
dred feet above the foot of the hill. Eesting on the col- 
umn will be a statue of Hudson twenty feet in height. 
It will stand forth so that it may be seen from many 
places ; but especially will it present a beautiful sight 
to those who pass up and down the Hudson River. 




A f«ro^+ t 4. c ^Statue of Henry Hudson by Karl Bitter 

A twenty-foot figure to be placed atop of the shaft of the HucS Monument at Spuyten 



Duyvil Neck 



THE HUDSON 

'Twas a vision of childhood that came with its dawn, 
Ere the curtain that covered life's day-star was drawn; 
The nurse told the tale when the shadows grew long, 
And the mother's soft lullaby breathed it in song. 

''There flows a fair stream by the hills of the west," — 
She sang to her boy as he lay on her breast ; 
"Along its smooth margin thy fathers have played; 
Beside its deep waters their ashes are laid." 

T wandered afar from the land of my birth, 
I saw the old rivers, renowned upon earth, 
But fancy still painted that wide-floAving stream 
With the many-hued pencil of infancy's dream. 

I saw the green banks of the castle-crowned Rhine, 
Where the grapes drink the moonlight and change it to 

wine ; 
I stood by the Avon, whose waves as they glide 
Still whisper his glory who sleeps at their side. 

But my heart would still yearn for the sound of the waves 
That sing as they flow by my forefathers' graves; 
If manhood yet honors my cheek with a tear, 
I care not who sees it, — no blush for it here. 

Farewell to the deep-bosomed stream of the West. 
I fling this loose blossom to float on its breast; 
Nor let the. dear love of its children grow cold. 
Till the channel is dry where its waters have rolled. 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes 



17 



18 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

The Half Moon never came to America again and 
ill the course of time it went the way of all ships. But 
fortunately, at the time of the Hudson-Fulton Cele- 
bration, a plan was found from which a new Half Moon 
was built — an exact copy of the old one. The Dutch 
Government presented it to us and it was brought to 
this country on the deck of a Holland steamer. On the 
day of the celebration, the Half Moon with a crew of 
sailors dressed like those who came over with Hudson, 
led a procession of boats up the Hudson Eiver. Great 
warships from all over the world were in the line, and 
fine steamboats of all sorts and descriptions passed by, 
but the little Half Moon was the craft that everyone 
wanted to see; and cheers and salutes greeted her as 
she came along — an inspiring reminder of Hudson's 
bravery and skill. 

While glorying in the knowledge that Hudson's 
memory has thus been honored, we are pleased to 
know that the Indians have not been forgotten. In 
1911, Congress gave Mr. Rodman Wanamaker per- 
mission to place a suitable memorial to the North 
American Indian in the harbor of New York on ground 
belonging to the United States. The place chosen was 
the high hill crest above Fort Wadsworth on Staten 
Island. There, a great bronze statue of an Indian 
will be placed. The figure will have a bow and arrow 
ill the left hand, which will hang down at the side to 
show that all war is ended, while the right hand. 



DISCOVERY OF THE HUDSON 19 

with two fingers extended — the peace sign of the In- 
dian — will be uplifted over the waters of the bay. 
There is to be also, as a part of the memorial, a 
museum containing all sorts of interesting relics; so 
that we shall have before us not only the Indian's im- 
pressive figure, but things that will show the manner 
of his life in the days long before the white man set 
foot upon this continent. 



CHAPTER II 

THE FIRST TRADERS 

The members of the Dutch East India Company 
were greatly disappointed when they heard that Hud- 
son had crossed the Atlantic instead of seeking to find 
a passage to Asia by the Arctic Ocean. They did not 
care anything about Manhattan Island and decided 
not to pay any further attention to it. 

But there were some Hollanders who at once be- 
came interested when they heard about the furs to be 
obtained from the Indians. So great was this interest, 
that they were soon ready to send out trading vessels. 

As to the exact time when the Dutch really began 
a settlement on Manhattan Island, there is great doubt. 
There is an old account that mentions 1613, but we 
have reason to think that this may be a mistake. How- 
ever, there is a tablet on the building at 41 Broadway 
which bears the inscription shown on the following 
page. 

The story of the four houses appears in a little 
book that was published in London in 1648. It tells of 
a certain English captain who was supposed to have 
visited Manhattan in 1613, but other statements in the 
same book would make it appear that the Captain 

20 



THE FIEST TRADEKS 21 



THIS TABLET MAKKS THE SITE OF THE 

FIRST HABITATIONS OF WHITE MEN 

ON THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN 

ADEIAN BLOCK 

COMMANDER OF THE TIGER 

ERECTED HERE FOUR HOUSES OR HUTS 

NOVEMBER 1613. 

HE BUILT THE RESTLESS THE FIRST VESSEL 

MADE BY EUROPEANS IN THIS COUNTRY. 

THE RESTLESS WAS LAUNCHED 

IN THE SPRING OF 1614. 

THIS TABLET IS PLACED HERE BY 

THE HOLLAND SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 

SEPTEMBER 1890. 



must have come some years later. And so we are in 
doubt about the matter. 

As to Adrian Block, we know that he was one of 
the early traders. He commanded a little vessel called 
The Tiger, which one day while at anchor took fire and 
was destroyed. Of course this was a great loss, but 
it appears that Block knew how to make the best of 
a bad situation. Aided by the Indians, he and his 
crew dragged trees to the shore, and after a great deal 
of hard work built a new boat which Block called 
The Onrust, or, as we should say, The Restless, This 



22 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

was the first ship ever built in these waters by white 
men. We are not sure, however, whether the building 
took place on Manhattan Island or somewhere up the 
river. The Onrust turned out to be a fine little craft, 
in which Block went exploring through the Sound and 
beyond as far as the island whicli we now know as 
Block Island, it being so named in his honor. 

And now we come to an interesting date — March 
27, 1614. It has already been said that several Dutch 
merchants were ready to fit up vessels to send across 
the ocean in order to trade with the Indians. These 
merchants asked the Government for a charter grant- 
ing them, and no other persons, the right to such trade. 
In reply, the Government, on March 27, 1614, issued a 
charter which gave those who asked this privilege the 
right to make and complete four voyages. In this Avay 
the traffic between Holland and the Indians began, and 
the foundation was laid for the great City and State 
of New York. 

On March 27, 1914, exactly three hundred years 
later, a great celebration was arranged by a committee 
of New York citizens, to commemorate the beginning* 
of the commercial life of these parts. It included exer- 
cises in churches and schools, parades, exhibitions, 
historical meetings, various festivals, and the dedica- 
tion of a fine memorial. 

A year or so after the trading with the Indians be- 
gan, a company was formed by the traders and was 



THE FIRST TRADEES 23 

given special privileges by the States-General, as the 
home government was called. In the charter, there 
appeared for the first time the name New Netherland. 
It is interesting to know that this name was selected 
because the Netherlanders looked upon themselves as 
the real pioneers, and because the climate, the situa- 
tion, and the fertility of the place were like those at 
home. 

Several years passed during which the traders were 
very successful in getting all sorts of fine furs in ex- 
change for beads and ribbons and other knick knacks. 
But the time of the special privileges was coming to an 
end. Other merchants now wanted a chance to get a 
share of the trade ; and so, in 1621, a larger and much 
more important company than the old one was char- 
tered. This was called The Dutch West India Com- 
pany. It was two years before it was complete and 
ready to begin its work. 



CHAPTER III 

PETER MINUIT, 162G-1632 

Up to the year we have now reached, that is 1623, 
there was no real settlement on Manhattan Island — 
no houses or farms or families. But during 1623, 
thirty courageous fathers and mothers took their chil- 
dren and household goods, and left their homes in Hol- 
land to brave the dangers of the ocean and face a new, 
strange life in the wilderness. They were not real 
Hollanders, these newcomers. The Dutch called them 
Walloons, meaning strangers. They were French- 
speaking people of the Protestant faith who had 
sought refuge in Holland so as to be free from reli- 
gious persecution. In Holland, everyone was allowed 
to pray to God as he pleased. 

The Walloons wanted to find a place where they 
could make a permanent home for themselves; and 
having heard good reports of the new country from 
the Dutch traders, they asked permission of the Dutch 
West India Company to go there. This permission 
was granted. 

They sailed from Holland in a ship called New 
Netherland, and in due course of time arrived on this 

24 



26 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

side of the Atlantic. Some remained on Manhattan 
Island, and some settled near the present navy-yard 
section of Brooklyn. Others made their home near 
what is now Albany, another party settled near the 
place where Hartford now stands, and the rest occu- 
pied a piece of land opposite the present site of Phila- 
delphia. 

The name Wallabout is a reminder of the Walloons. 
It means W^alloon Bay. 

Of the doings of the first settlers we know very lit- 
tle ; but we can imagine what it meant to come to a wil- 
derness, and there build homes and obtain food. The 
country yielded enough good things, but they were 
wild and unfit to be used. There was a lack of bread 
and of fresh butter, milk and cheese. As to the houses, 
they were little more than huts. 

The date 1626 is an important one because in that 
year Peter Minuit became the Director-General of the 
colony. There had been tw^o Directors before him but 
there is nothing important to be said of them. Minuit 
was a deacon of the church. He always dealt honor- 
ably with the Indians, and he greatly improved the 
condition of the settlers by providing seeds, plants, 
tools, and animals. 

One of his first acts was to buy the Island of Man- 
hattan from the Indians. He paid for it with about 
twenty-four dollars' worth of beads, ribbons and such 
like. He did not pay in money because the Indians 



PETER MINUIT, 1626-1632 27 

had no use for European coins. They did not care for 
gold pieces, while they did care a great deal for beads 
and other bright ornaments. There are two interest- 
ing paintings in New York, showing Minuit engaged in 
making the purchase of the island from the Indians. 
One may be seen in the Hall of Records near the 
City Hall, and the other in the lobby of the Hotel 
Netherland. 

It may be thought that twenty-four dollars' worth 
of knick knacks was very little to pay for Manhattan 
Island, but the Indians did not think so. They had 
more land than they needed, while the quantity of 
beads they received seemed to them like a vast lot of 
treasures. There is nothing to show that they were 
ever dissatisfied with the transaction. 

One of the first acts of the settlers was to build a 
fort by making banks of earth eight or ten feet high. 
The location was the site of our present Custom 
House, but in those days the island was much nar- 
rower and there was no Battery Park. The fort was 
close to the end of the island where the North and the 
East Rivers met. At first the fort was called Fort 
Manhattes, and afterwards Fort Amsterdam. 

The next step was the building of a mill, the upper 
floor of which was used as a place of worship. At first, 
instead of a minister, there were two men called ' ' Com- 
forters of the Sick/' who read texts from the Scrip- 
tures to those who were afflicted. The first clergy- 



28 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

man, the Rev. Jonas Michaelius, arrived in 1628, where- 
upon Director-General Minuit and the two ^'Comfort- 
ers of the Sick" were chosen the first elders of the 
Dutch Church of New Amsterdam. 

The church on Second Avenue near Seventh Street, 
known as the Middle Dutch Church, possesses several 
interesting references to the early history of the city. 
On the outside of the building there is a tablet stating 
that the Protestant Dutch Church of New York was 
organized under Peter Minuit in 1628, and on one of 
the inner walls there is a memorial in his honor de- 
scribing him as ''an intelligent and God-fearing man, 
with great executive ability, and entirely incorrupt- 
ible.'^ There is also an interesting inscription in 
praise of the first "Comforters'' who came "to per- 
form their sacred office of ministering to the people 
and consoling the sick." Likewise there is a tribute 
to the first minister through whose efforts the church 
was organized. 

At that time there Avas a population of two hundred 
and sevent}^ men, women, and children in the little 
town, which consisted of some thirty log houses clus- 
tered as closely as possible about the fort. The latter 
stood for many years, and for a long time was the 
most noticeable object that met the view. In the 
stately Custom House that now occupies the site of the 
old earth fort there are several reminders of it. A 
bronze tablet in the outer vestibule bears an outline of 




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I rt 



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www »w» Aw. *V .««- -aAWtA,. » - w • , 



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Bronze Tablet in the Vestibule of the Custom House 



30 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

the fort with a bit of interesting history. In the ro- 
tunda there is an older tablet, and in the beautiful 
reception room of the Collector, carved in stone over 
the fireplace, there is a historical inscription. Just 
above this can be seen a representation of Adrian 
Block's little ship. The Onrust. 

The town was named New Amsterdam, and the en- 
tire colony where the Dutch had settled, extending 
from the neighborhood of Hartford to the place oppo- 
site Philadelphia, was called New Netherland. The 
river near the Philadelphia settlement was given the 
name of South River, and so the Manhattan stream 
was called the North River. The East River owes its 
name to the fact that in the neighborhood of the fort 
and the section where the first houses were built, it 
flows in an easterly direction. 

It is interesting to know the various names that 
have been given to the Hudson River. It was known 
as the River of the Manhattes ; also as the River of the 
Wolves. The latter was the name given by the Mohe- 
gans, who were known as the tribe of the Wolf. Ver- 
razzano called it the River of the Steep Hills, and 
Gomez, the River San Antonio. During the Dutch pe- 
riod it was spoken of as the Mauritius River, in honor 
of Maurice, one of the Netherland princes ; also as the 
Nassau River, the River of the Mountains, the North 
River, and the Great River. It seems that at that 
time it was most often called the Great River. It was 



PETER MINUIT, 1626-1632 31 

mentioned as Hudson's River as early as 1619, but 
many years passed before this most fitting name was 
generally used. 

We have learned that Peter Minuit was a good man 
and that he tried his best to make New Amsterdam a 
pleasant place in which to live; but the colony grew 
slowly. This was probably due to the fact that Hol- 
land was a still pleasanter place in which to live. It 
was one of the few countries of Europe where there 
was religious freedom together with comfort and pros- 
perity. The people of Holland were therefore quite 
content to remain at home. 

In order to change this state of affairs, the West" 
India Company decided upon a new plan. This 
plan provided that any member of the company who 
within four years should bring fifty adult persons to 
America and set them up as farmers along the rivers 
of New Netherland, should be granted a large tract of 
land and be known as a '^patroon" or lord. 

In this way several large estates were planted on 
the Hudson River and some of them were very suc- 
cessful. But now a new trouble arose. The Company 
found fault with the patroons for not doing all they 
agreed to do, and the patroons answered that the Com- 
pany did not furnish as much protection as they said 
they would. In this dispute Minuit was accused of 
favoring the patroons, for which reason he was re- 
called in 1632. 



CHAPTER IV 

WALTER VAN TWILLER, 1633-1637 

Peter Minuit sailed away from New Amsterdam in 
1632. The new Director-General, Walter Van Twiller, 
did not arrive until about a year later. He brought with 
him one hundred and four soldiers, who not only made 
the settlers feel safer but made the little town much 
livelier. The bugle call, the sound of the drum, and 
the parade of the men in uniform, must have pleased 
the people both young and old. 

Van Twiller, although he had his troop of soldiers, 
does not appear to have been a man of courage. One 
day while he was at dinner with one of the patroons, 
David De Vries, as his guest, an English ship passed 
up through the Narrows and came to anchor before the 
fort. A boat was promptly lowered and the errand on 
which the vessel came was quickly told. The ship had 
been sent out by English merchants to carry on trade 
in '^ Hudson's River." The use of the term ^^ Hud- 
son's River" in this manner showed that because 
Hudson Avas an Englishman the London merchants in- 
tended to claim the right to trade in the territory 
which their countryman had discovered. Van Twiller 

32 



WALTER VAN TWILLER, 1633-1637 33 

at once sent back word that tlie English ship would 
not be permitted to sail np the river, that it was 
the '^ Mauritius River" and not '' Hudson's River," 
and that all the surrounding country was governed by 
the States General and by Maurice the Prince of 
Orange. Thereupon he ordered the Orange colors to 
be run up on the flagstaff of the fort, and three shots 
to be fired in honor of the Prince. The captain of the 
English ship, by way of answer, sent the English 
colors to the top of the masthead, fired three shots in 
honor of King Charles and in defiance of Van Twiller, 
and, without more ado, hauled up his anchor and sailed 
up the river. 

Van Twiller became furious when he beheld the 
English boat pass the fort in spite of his orders. But 
beyond showing anger, he did not know what to do. 
Then an idea struck him. He called together all the 
good citizens of the town and drank a toast to the 
Prince and ^ ' the Fatherland. ' ' The citizens were quite 
willing to drink such a toast, but they could not help 
feeling contempt for Van Twiller 's conduct. 

De Vries, who was a brave sea captain and a man 
of education, was indignant at the whole performance, 
and told Van Twiller plainly that he ought to have 
stopped the English boat from going up the river. He 
pointed out to Van Twiller that he had soldiers and 
ships and could easily have interfered. 

Van Twiller 's mind worked slowly and it took 



34 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

him several days to decide what to do. At length he 
sent an expedition after the English ship, which was 
found near Albany. A lively trade had been carried 
on with the Indians and many furs had been secured. 
Van Twiller's men put a stop to the traffic and es- 
corted the English ship down to New Amsterdam. 
There the furs were removed and the ship was sent 
back to England without her cargo. It is well to re- 
member in connection with this incident, that if Van 
Twiller was slow and ridiculous, De Vries was quick 
and courageous, and that the Dutch soldiers, having 
been ordered forth, performed their duty with credit 
and success. 

Although Van Twiller did not cut a brave fig- 
ure in regard to the English ship, he did other things 
that were of benefit to the colony. He planted tobacco 
and made such a success of it that the people at home 
in Holland were glad to get this product of New Am- 
sterdam. Farming also increased, and several wind- 
mills, such as one sees to this day in Holland, were 
erected in various parts of the island. 

In religious matters, also, there was improvement. 
A separate church building was erected near the Fort, 
in 1633, and although it was a plain-looking house, it 
was better than the floor above the mill used in Min- 
uit's time. The services were held not only in Dutch 
but also in French so that the Walloons could under- 
stand. The people also began to learn something of 



WALTER VAN TWILLER, 1633-1637 35 

the language of the Indians. Thus, even in those 
early days several languages were used by those who 
lived on Manhattan Island. 

During Van Twiller's time the first schoolmaster, 
Adam Roelantsen, arrived in Manhattan. He was 
twenty-seven years old. It would be highly interest- 
ing to know just what the first schoolhouse on Manhat- 
tan Island looked like, but, unfortunately, we have 
nothing that tells us of the school-life of the children 
of that time. The schoolmaster, we are told, was 
kept busy with many duties besides instructing the 
young. He was expected to have a good voice and to 
be able to teach singing, to help the domine, to read 
a portion of the Word of God to the people, to aid as 
much as possible in bringing them up in the ways of 
the Lord, to comfort them in sickness, and to set a good 
example as church-clerk and schoolmaster. 

But notwithstanding these signs of progress, the 
members of the Dutch West India Company were not 
satisfied. In spite of the furs, the tobacco, and other 
articles, the trade was not so large as had been ex- 
pected. 

Of course the blame was placed upon Van Twill- 
er's shoulders. He owned considerable land, includ- 
ing Grovernor's Island, which was so called because it 
belonged to him, the governor of the colony. He also 
owned large herds of cattle. Now, Van Twiller's 
lands somehow yielded better crops and his cattle 



36 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

looked finer than did those of the Company. A further 
source of trouble was a bitter quarrel which arose be- 
tween Van Twiller and the new minister, Dominie 
Bogardus, in consequence of which a complaint was 
laid against the Director in Plolland. As a result of 
all this, the Company recalled Van Twiller after he 
had been in its service only about four years. 

It must be admitted that Van Twiller had looked 
after his own interests much better than he had 
watched over those of the Dutch West India Company. 



CHAPTER V 

WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 

By this time, fourteen years had passed since the 
first settlers had arrived. It was not easy, as we have 
seen, to manage the affairs of New Amsterdam. Min- 
uit had ruled six years and Van Twiller four, and 
neither one had given satisfaction. It was therefore 
decided to try a different sort of man — one with more 
force and energy. 

The man selected was William Kieft. He came in 
1638. 

The appearance of the town when he arrived was 
not promising. The fort was in poor condition, many 
buildings needed repairs, and all but one of the wind- 
mills were out of order. The company's lands were 
neglected and its cattle had been scattered. Some of 
the cattle, it was said, had been taken by Van Twiller. 

There were many proofs that the Company's offi- 
cers had not been doing their duty, but that they had 
been working to enrich themselves instead of attend- 
ing to the interests of their employers. It was found 
that, contrary to the rules of the Company, they had 
been trading in furs on their own account ; that guns, 

37 



38 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

powder, and bullets had been furnished to the Indians ; 
that the soldiers often behaved badly; and that the 
citizens frequently broke the laws. 

Kieft set about improving the condition of things, 
and it seemed at first as if matters would run smoothly 
and that law and order would prevail; but the new 
Director's great fault was that he did not know how 
to deal with the Indians. Up to this time the colonists 
had managed to get along fairly well with the natives ; 
but now, owing to Kieft 's way with them, bad feeling 
was stirred up. 

He decided to make the Indians pay a tax of corn, 
furs, and Indian money. This Indian money was called 
wampum and consisted of strings of beads made from 
sea shells. The Indians refused, saying that he must 
be a very mean man, that he had come to live in their 
land when they had not invited him, and that he wanted 
to take some of their corn for nothing. They said that 
they would not give their corn, because they had al- 
lowed the Dutch to live peaceably in the country with- 
out asking anything from them, and because when the 
Dutch ship was burned, they had supplied the Dutch 
with food and other things, and had taken care of them 
for two winters while a new ship was being built. They 
said, also, that though they had given up a little of 
their land, the rest belonged to them and that their 
corn was their own. Kieft answered by saying that he 
wanted the Indians to supply the corn and the furs and 



WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 39 

the wampum because he was spending a lot of money in 
repairing the fort, which would protect the Indians as 
well as the white men. The Indians replied that the 
fort was no protection to them, and that they had never 
asked to have it built. 

Some months after the arrival of Kieft, the worthy 
and enterprising De Vries, who had gone back to 
Europe during Van Twiller's term, returned to Man- 
hattan. He brought with him a number of people and 
formed a little colony on the island which had been 
called Staten Island in honor of the States Greneral. 

De Vries, who was far wiser than Kieft, warned 
him that he was making a mistake in his manner of 
dealing with the Indians ; and before long there was 
terrible proof that De Vries was right. One day 
some wicked white men from Manhattan stole some 
pigs from the settlement on Staten Island. The blame 
was put upon the Earitan Indians, who lived twenty 
miles inland. Kieft, without looking into the matter, 
sent out a party of fifty men, who killed several of the 
peaceful Indians and burned their crops. In revenge, 
the Indians attacked the people on Staten Island and 
destroyed the settlement. After this, Kieft offered a 
reward to everyone who would bring to him an In- 
dian's head. Then there was trouble indeed. 

Indians never forget a wrong. De Vries, whom 
the Indians liked and trusted, knew this very well, 
and tried to make Kieft believe it, too. Something 



40 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

happened about this time that proved it, and that 
sliould have been a warning to the Director-General. 

To understand tlie matter fully we must go back to 
1626. One day several men employed by Director 
Minuit were working near a pond called the "Kolk," 
in the neighborhood of the site of the City Prison on 
Center Street. Presently, an Indian accompanied by 
his nephew, a boy of twelve, came along carrying some 
beaver skins which he intended to sell at the fort. 
The laborers, noticing the fine furs, yielded to tempta- 
tion and attacked the two Indians. In the uneven fight 
that followed, the older Indian was killed. The boy 
escaped. 

Sixteen years passed and the youth had become a 
man; but not for a moment had he forgotten w^hat had 
happened, nor that it was his duty, according to the 
Indian belief, to avenge his uncle's death. Some- 
where along the East River, on an Indian trail, a 
harmless Dutchman, Claes Smits, had built a little 
hut. One day the nephew of the murdered Indian, 
now a man grown, came along and stopped at the 
hut, pretending that he w^anted to sell some beaver 
skins. As the innocent Smits turned his back and 
bent down over a chest in which he kept his goods, 
the savage dealt him a terrible blow and killed him. 
According to Indian ideas, no wrong had been done. 
On the contrary, the young man probably felt quite at 
peace with his conscience, and offered thanks to the 



WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 41 

Great Spirit because lie had at last avenged his uncle's 
murder. 

Kieft at once sent to the chief of the tribe, and 
demanded that the offender be given up. The chief's 
answer explained why the attack had been made, and 
said that the man had simply done his duty. 

Kieft wanted to attack the Indians at once; but, 
realizing that he was becoming unpopular, he thought 
it best to consult with the Twelve Selectmen of the 
town. Harvest time was approaching, the cattle were 
scattered, and there were many inhabitants living at 
long distances from the fort, who would be in great 
danger if war were begun hastily. It was decided, 
therefore, to keep up a friendly appearance, but to 
prepare for war. ''Let the Governor himself lead us 
and we will follow his steps and obey his commands," 
said the citizens ; but it was well known that Kieft al- 
ways took good care to remain in the fort, where he 
was out of harm's way. 

The Indians living near" Manhattan would have 
been glad to be on friendly terms with the Dutch, be- 
cause they feared the Mohawks who dwelt further 
north. Indeed the fierce warriors from that section 
swept down upon the lower river tribes, killed many of 
their men, took their women and children captive, and 
destroyed their villages. Large numbers of the de- 
feated tribes sought shelter across the river where 
Jersey City is now located. Others found a resting 



42 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

place on Manhattan Island in the neighborhood of 
Corlear 's Hook — the foot of Grand Street on the East 
River. 

The kind-hearted De Vries, realizing the situation, 
hurried to interview Kieft, and to plead with him in 
behalf of the red men. He tried to make the Director 
understand that these poor Lidians, having escaped 
from the terrible Mohawks, would be grateful for the 
protection of the Dutch and would be their friends for- 
ever afterward. Domine Bogardus added his voice to 
that of De Vries. 

But Kieft listened more favorably to other sugges- 
tions. Being revengeful himself, he was glad to give 
ear to those who wanted to take advantage of the 
crippled condition of the Lidians and crush them once 
for all. And so, at midnight on the 25th of February, 
1643, armed bands went forth against the unsuspect- 
ing Indians, who, thinking themselves safe, were 
asleep. 

^^I sat up that night, '^ wrote De Vries, ^'by the 
kitchen fire at the Director's. About midnight, hear- 
ing loud shrieks, I ran up to the ramparts of the fort. 
Looking toward Pavonia,^ I saw nothing but shooting, 
and heard nothing but the shrieks of the Indians being 
murdered in their sleep.'' 

At dawn, the victorious Dutch returned from the 
scene of slaughter, bringing about thirty prisoners and 

^ Pavonia was a settlement near t lie present site of Jersey City. 



WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 43 

the heads of many warriors. Kieft welcomed his sol- 
diers with '^shaking of hands and congratulations.'^ 
But it was a poor victory, because when the news 
spread, all the Indian tribes in the valley of the Hud- 
son and on Long Island combined to punish the colo- 
nists. 

A terrible time now began. The war whoop was 
heard everywhere, and every unprotected home was 
attacked. Farmers were shot while in the field, their 
dwellings were set afire, and women and children were 
thrown into the flames. All sorts of property — houses, 
hay stacks, and granaries — were burned to the ground ; 
cattle were slain or stolen, and crops were destroyed. 

So fierce was the war spirit that even the plantation 
of De Vries suffered. His place was at some distance 
from the fort, close to the Hudson. His outhouses, his 
cattle, and his crops w^ere ruined. Many colonists 
seeking refuge had come to his manor house, which 
was massive and well built and provided with 
loopholes for guns. The Indians were surrounding 
his place, when one of their number, whom De Vries 
had at one time assisted, appeared on the scene. He at 
once informed his brethren of the kindness he had re- 
ceived, and said that De Vries was a good chief who 
ought not to be injured. Immediately the feelings of 
the savages changed. They proved that just as they 
never forgot an injury, neither did they ever forget a 
kindness. A warrior was sent toward the house with a 



44 TALES OF OLD NEW YOKK 

message saying that the besiegers were sorry that they 
had done any harm, that they now knew De Vries was 
their friend, and that they would not do any further 
damage. Such was the nature of these men who are 
spoken of as savages. 

As soon as possible, De Vries hastened to Fort Am- 
sterdam to have a talk with Kieft. '^Has it not hap- 
pened just as I foretold, that you are only helping to 
shed Christian blood?" he said, as much in sorrow 
as in anger. ^'Who will now compensate us for our 
losses?" 

Kieft did not know what to answer. He tried, as 
people generally do in such cases, to throw the blame 
on some one else. Finally, he made an effort to bring 
about peace with the Indians, but they had grown so 
bitter that the war spirit soon broke out again. The 
situation was really terrible. Women and children 
lay hidden in straw huts while the men stood guard to 
protect them. Everywhere there was waste and ruin. 
Scarcely a white person was to be seen in Westchester 
or Long Island. The Dutch had been driven out of 
New Jersey, and those on Staten Island lived in fear 
and trembling. As to Manhattan Island, the middle 
and upper portions were almost entirely deserted. 

It was now decided to put an end to the Indian at- 
tacks. Accordingly^ in February, 1644, a force of one 
hundred and fifty men was sent into Connecticut, 
where the Indians had become very troublesome. In 




View of a Fortified Iinuiam V illage 



46 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

the neighborhood of Stamford was located one of their 
large villages. After toiling through the snow all day, 
the Dutch came upon the place about midnight. The 
night was clear and cold, the moon lighting up the hills 
and valleys with dazzling brightness. The Dutch be- 
gan the attack as quickly as possible. There were four 
or five hundred natives, but the bullets of the Dutch 
soldiers soon began to have fearful effect. The In- 
dians fought furiously, and defended their homes, 
their women, and their children with all their strength 
and courage; but they could not hold out against the 
Europeans. Within an hour nearly two hundred war- 
riors were slain, and the war whoops of the rest be- 
came more and more feeble. In the end, the Dutch 
set fire to the village. At last, all of the Indians 
were killed, except eight who escaped. It must have 
been a terrible scene. The moon still shone, but it 
looked down upon the dead staining the snow with 
their blood, and upon masses of smoking ashes where 
only a short time before stood the homes of the Indian 
families. The Dutch loss was small. Two days after- 
wards the soldiers returned to Fort Amsterdam, where 
they were received with great rejoicing by the Direc- 
tor and his followers. 

But the people were not pleased. They realized 
only too well what Kieft's dealings with the Indians 
had cost them. They sent a letter to the States-Gen- 
eral, in which they said: "Our fields lie waste, our 



WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 47 

dwellings and other buildings are bnrned ; not a hand- 
ful can be either planted or sown this autumn on the 
deserted places; the crops which God permitted to 
come forth during the past summer remain on the 
fields standing and rotting ; ... we have no means to 
provide necessaries for wives or children ; and we sit 
here amid thousands of barbarians, from whom we 
find neither peace nor mercy." All their troubles, 
they said, came through a foolish hankering after war. 
^^For, all right-thinking men here,'' they wrote, ''know 
that these Indians have lived as lambs among us, until 
a few years ago." But now, owing to Governor 
Kief t 's treatraent, such a bitter feeling had arisen that 
it seemed impossible the Indians would ever be 
friendly again. 

It certainly was a sad state of affairs, and we can 
easily understand that many of the settlers must have 
felt discouraged. No doubt many would gladly have 
gone back to Holland, where they knew they could live 
in peace. 

After a time the Indians found out that the white 
men w^ere the more powerful, and they decided to stop 
fighting. So in August, 1645, chiefs from the various 
tribes arrayed in their colored blankets, their beads, 
and their feathers, gathered in front of Fort Amster- 
dam and smoked the pipe of peace. It must have been 
a curious sight to see those solemn, copper-colored 
chiefs grouped together in that open space before 



48 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

the fort, promising to be good friends with their 
white brothers. That open space has ever re- 
mained public ground, and it is now known as Bowl- 
ing Green. 

As to the Indians, they were just like their white 
brothers — some bad, but many good. ^'Why,'' said 
the good Indians, ^'will you sell brandy to our young 
men? They are not used to it. It makes them crazy. 
Even your own people, wdio are accustomed to strong 
liquors, sometimes become drunk and fight with 
knives. Sell no more strong drink to the Indians, if 
you will avoid such mischief.'' This certainly was 
good reasoning. We find also a story told by a minis- 
ter who said: ^'When we have a sermon, sometimes 
ten or twelve Indians will attend, each having in his 
mouth a long tobacco pipe made by himself, and will 
stand a while and look. Afterwards they will ask me 
what I was doing, and what I wanted, that I stood 
there alone and made so many words and none of the 
rest might speak. I tell them that I admonish the 
Christians that they must not steal or drink, or com- 
mit murder, or do anything wrong; and that I intend, 
after a while, to come and preach to them when I am 
acquainted with their language. They say that I do 
well in teaching the Christians, but immediately they 
add, 'Why do so many Christians do these things T '' 
It would seem from all this that if Director Kieft had 
treated the Indians kindly, he could have avoided 



WILLIAM KIEFT, 1638-1647 49 

miicli trouble and have saved his people from great 
suffering and loss. 

Impressive reminders of Kieft's time are to be 
found in the American Museum of Natural History. 
Some cases in the Indian department contain the dif- 
ferent kinds of weapons the Indians used when they 
went forth to kill their enemies. One cannot help 
thinking, wdiile looking at the dreadful weapons, that 
both the settlers and the Indians would have been 
glad to live peaceably, if the Director-General had not 
interfered. 

It is not surprising, after all we have learned, to 
hear that Kieft w^as soon recalled. The news of his 
recall was received by the people with great satisfac- 
tion. They little thought, however, that he would 
never reach his native land. The vessel in which he 
sailed was shipwrecked, and he and many of the other 
passengers were drowned. 



CHAPTER VI 

NEW AMSTERDAM AS IT APPEARED IN KIEFT'S TIME 

In the time of Kieft, New Amsterdam occupied but 
a small part of Manhattan Island. This is shown on a 
map of the city as it appeared in 1642. This map, it 
is true, was drawn nearly two hundred years later, but 
the author had so carefully studied the city's history 
that he was able to form a true picture in his mind of 
what the town had been. It shows that the tip of the 
island was narrower than it is at present. Much land 
that was then under water has since been reclaimed 
and made into streets and into the park at the Battery. 

The fort was different from most forts in that it 
not only had quarters for the soldiers, but also con- 
tained a church and a house for the Director-General. 
We already know that the first place of worship was 
the upper floor of a mill. The second was a wooden 
church built near the shore of the East River. When 
the Indian troubles began this was found to be unsafe, 
as the natives often attacked the settlers while they 
were at worship. The Indians knew full well that 
they had the white men at a great disadvantage when 

the latter were at church. There was another reason, 

50 



NEW AMSTERDAM IN KIEFT'S TIME 51 

however, why the people wanted a new and finer 
church. ' ' It was a shame, ' ' said they, ^ ' that the Eng- 
lish should see, when they passed, nothing but a mean 




Map op New Amsterdam in 1642 

Drawn "from the best data in his possession" by D. T. Valentine, compiler of 

the Manuals of the Common Council. 

barn, in which public worship is performed. The first 
thing they did in New England was to build a fine 
church ; we ought to do the same. We have good ma- 
terials, fine oak wood, fine building stone and good 
lime made from oyster shells. ' ^ So a subscription was 
started to secure money for a new house of worship. 



52 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

With this money a church was built within the fort in 
the year 1642. It was of stone with a roof of oak, 
from which rose a tower at the top of which was a 
weather-cock. All the views of old New York show 
the church distinctly with its tower and its weather- 
cock. '^The Church in the Fort/' as it was often 
called, was then known as St. Nicholas' Church. For 
fifty years it stood, its stone walls serving as a place 
of refuge on many occasions when there was fear of an 
Indian attack. New Dutch churches were built in the 
course of time, but the mother church was always re- 
membered, and each of the new houses of worship 
bears a bronze tablet saying that it is the (Collegiate) 
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of 
New York organized under Peter Minuit. Further- 
more, the building at Fifth Avenue and 29th Street 
bears an inscription as follows: 



THE CHURCH IIT THE FORT 

NOW THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF NEW YORK 

OF WHICH THIS IS ONE CONGREGATION 

BEGAN ITS WORK AND WORSHIP ON MANHATTAN 

ISLAND AS EARLY AS 1614 

IT IS THE OLDEST CHURCH OF EVANGELICAL FAITH IN 

AMERICA. 

ITS FIRST MINISTER WAS INSTALLED IN 1628 

ITS FIRST HOUSE OF WORSHIP WAS ERECTED IN 1633 



NEW AMSTEEDAM IN KIEFT^S TIME 53 

To the north of the fort, on the map, can be seen the 
open space where the Indians came and smoked the 
pipe of peace after the long and terrible war already 




Cattle Fair — Bowling Green 
Tapestry woven by the Herter looms. Copyright by the Hotel jNIcAlpin, where the 

tapestry may be seen. 

mentioned. This place, as we know, is now called 
Bowling Green. There a weekly market was held, and 
every year a kirmess or fair where everybody had a 
good time eating, drinking, dancing and dressing up 
in fancy costumes. There, too, the children danced 



54 



TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 



around the May pole. As it was also tlie place where 
the soldiers paraded, it was called The Parade. 




View of Broad Street, 1659 

Bowling Green is the locality where Broadway 
really begins, and there it is indeed a broad way. The 
other long street to the right, you will see, if you exam- 
ine it closely, is a waterway with a bridge across it at 
one place. The latter is now called Bridge Street, 
although the bridge long ago disappeared. Likewise 
the waterway is no more, having been filled up. The 
place where it was is now known as Broad Street. 

The City Tavern occupied the site of what is now 
.73 Pearl Street. It was buiTt in 1642, was afterwards 



NEW AMSTERDAM IN KIEFT'S TIME 55 

used as the City Hall, and remained standing until 
1700. It was called tlie ^'stadt Jiuys'' and was used 
for holding court. There was one lawyer in the town 
and it is said that he did not have much to do. Peo- 




A View of the City Hall of New Amsterdam 
Built in 1642 and known as the City Tavern; became the City Hall in 1655; taken 
down in 1700. Site, present northwest corner Pearl Street and Coenties Alley. 



pie in those days went to court and told their story 
without the help of a lawyer. The City Hall and the 
buildings at the side, as shown in the picture, exhibit 
the curious way in which the Dutch built their roofs 
with steps leading to the top. Several new buildings 
in the lower part of the city have been built in this 
style. The old tavern has been honored in the form 
of a tablet with the following inscription : 



56 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 



THE SITE OF THE 

FIRST DUTCH HOUSE OF ENTERTAINMENT 

ON THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN 

LATER THE SITE OF THE OLD ^'^STADT HUYS'^ 

OR CITY HALL. 

THIS TABLET IS PLACED HERE BY 

THE HOLLAND SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 

SEPTEMBER 1890. 



The burial place on the west side of Broadway has 
disappeared, but the remains of another old cemetery 
still exists. It is a Jewish place of rest on New Bow- 
ery near Oliver Street. It was consecrated in the year 
1656, w^hen it was described as "outside of the city." 
A tablet, placed there a few years ago, tells its story 
and calls attention to the venerable tombstones that 
have stood there over two centuries. 

In addition to the localities on Manhattan Island 
that have been described, other places that are of in- 
terest were then being settled. 

As early as 1639, a portion of the section now 
known as The Bronx was bought by The West India 
Company from the Indians. Two years later, Jonas 
Bronk or Brunk bought a tract of five hundred acres 
above the Harlem River. Before long the stream that 
runs through that pleasant piece of country became 




is 

Ed. 

W I- 

M <U 

o > 

PO 









02 



58 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

known as Brunk's River. This name was gradually 
changed to our present form of Bronx. 

Li 1645, the present Borough of Brooklyn began its 
existence. At first it was a little settlement called 
BreucheleUj so named after an old village near Amster- 
dam in the mother country. The location was along 
the line of Fulton Street in the very neighborhood 
w^here the City Hall building stands to-day. 



CHAPTER VII 

PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 

During the month of May, 1647, when, as we can 
readily imagine, Manhattan Island and all its sur- 
roundings looked most beautiful, its trees in blos- 
som and its flowers in bloom, Peter Stuyvesant, the 
new Director-General, arrived. 

He was the most earnest and conscientious of the 
Dutch governors; and he ruled for seventeen years 
— a longer period than any of the others. He was 
brave and strong-minded and well-meaning, but he was 
severe and quick-tempered. He had fought in foreign 
wars and had lost a part of his right leg, which had 
been replaced by a wooden stump. He told the people, 
^^I shall reign over you as a father governs his chil- 
dren,'' but he did not explain what kind of a father 
he meant. He turned out to be a very harsh and 
strict sort of father. 

It must be remembered, however, that he had a 
difficult task before him. Owing to the Indian wars, 
the colony had suffered greatly and there was much to 
be done to repair the damage. Instead of three thou- 
sand people, as in 1643, there were only about one 

59 



60 



TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 




Peter Stuyvesant 
From an oil painting in the possession of the New York Historical Society 

thousand, and many of these were dissatisfied and 
unhappy. The fort was crumbling to ruins and 
the entire little town was in a sad condition. Stuyve- 
sant ordered that the fort be repaired without delay, 
and forbade the people to let their horses, cows and 
pigs pasture on its walls — certainly a strange use for 
a fort. 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 



61 



During his rule a war broke out between England 
and Holland, and it was thought necessary to protect 
the town not only by means of the fort at one end but 
by building a stockade or wooden wall at the other end, 




View of the Wall and the Water Gate at the Foot of Wall Street 

so that all the houses would be protected. .This wall 
was built along the line of our present Wall Street. 
This explains how the street received its name, and 
at the same time reminds us of the days when the 
Dutch had possession of Manhattan Island. The 
people of New Amsterdam expected that an army 
from New England would attack them, but none ever 
came. The wall, however, remained standing for a 



62 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

great many years and, in fact, for a long time it kept 
the town from growing as it would otherwise have 
done. There w^ere two gates : one at Broadway called 
the Land Gate, and the other close to the East River, 
called the Water Gate. 

For nearly ten years of Stuyvesant's rule the col- 
ony was at peace with the Indians, and then a foolish 
act on the part of a white man caused a new Indian 
war. The Indians being used to taking fruit where 
they found it, were not so particular as they might 
have been about entering gardens and helping them- 
selves. One night, an Indian girl slipped into the 
orchard of a man named Van Dyck and took some 
peaches. Van Dyck shot at her and killed her. As 
soon as the news reached the near-by tribes they 
united to avenge the girl's death. Stuyvesant was away 
at the time, having taken most of the soldiers with 
him to the South River. Aware of this fact, the chiefs 
gathered their men and during the night stealthily pad- 
dled toward the town in sixty-four war canoes. They 
wandered about the streets not giving any sign of 
their intentions, until one warrior saw Van Dyck and 
killed him with an arrow. At once a fight commenced 
in which several Indians and citizens lost their lives, 
This was the beginning of a three-days' conflict which 
spread to neighboring places, and during which a hun- 
dred of the Dutch were killed, one hundred and fifty 
taken prisoners, and more than three hundred de- 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 



63 



prived of home, clothes and food. Besides, a large 
number of cattle and a vast amount of grain were 
destroyed. Not counting the loss of life, it is said that 
the damage amounted to over $80,000 — a terrible price 
to pay for a few peaches. 








New Amsterdam as it Appeared During Stuyvesant's Time 



In the days of Stuyvesant, New Amsterdam was still 
a very small settlement. The Wall, which we now con- 
sider far down-town, formed the upper end of the city. 
The streets were narrow and crooked just as some 
are to-day. It has been said that the reason the 
streets in the lower part of the island are so crooked 
-is because they were laid out by the cows. Naturally, 



64 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

the cows, in seeking their pastures, took the easiest 
way, going around hills instead of over them. After 
a time, the hills disappeared but the paths remained; 
and the people of New York still follow the roads laid 
out by the cows. Whether this account is correct or 
not, it is certain that the Dutch settlers at first paid 
very little attention to streets, and built their houses 
so as to face in any direction that suited their fancy. 

The most curious of the old Dutch paths is Pearl 
Street, which begins far down at the lower end of 
Broadway and after making a long turn again touches 
Broadw^ay several blocks above City Hall. Pearl 
Street was so called because in Dutch times, when the 
island w^as narrower, it was the road that passed along 
the river bank, where there w^ere found quantities of 
^'pearly shells.'^ The Dutch therefore called it Per el 
Straet, which in English became Pearl Street. 

Stone Street is another old Dutch street. It is 
small and narrow and crooked, probably no wider than 
it was in the old days. It was one of the paths that 
led from the fort, and it enjoys the honor of having 
been the first street that was paved with stones. So 
great a w^onder was this considered, that people came 
from all directions to look at it, and it was at once 
named Stone Street. This was in 1658, at wdiich time 
the little town already numbered seventeen streets. 
The two main paths, as the map of 1642 shows, 
were Broadway and the Road to the Ferry, which 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 65 

afterwards became Pearl Street. The upper path 
connecting the Road to the Ferry and Broadway, was 
called by the Dutch, T Maagde Paatje, meaning 
Maiden's Path, which to-day is known as Maiden 
Lane. This Lane, as one may readily see, was out in 
the country at some distance beyond the wall. 

In fact, the greater part of the island was what we 
call ^ ^ couijtry. ' ^ There were many farms, but much of 
the land was without fences and was used as commons 
for the cattle. One large common was in the neighbor- 
hood of the City Hall Park, and was used as a pasture 
for the cows belonging to the people of the town. The 
cows were driven forth in the morning through one of 
the gates of the city, along the Road to the Ferry and 
then up Maiden Lane. There was a herdsman who 
was employed by many of the inhabitants to take 
charge of the cattle. In the morning he stopped 
at each gate, blew his horn, and received the 
cows. On his return in the evening, he again 
blew his horn, and left at each gate the animals that 
belonged there. 

The change between those times and our own is 
beautifully described in the following verses, the 
author of which, unfortunately, we do not know : 

''Down Maiden Lane, where clover grew, 
Sweet-scented in the early air, 
Where sparkling rills went shining through 
Their grassy banks, so green and fair, 



66 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

Blithe little maids from Holland land 
Went tripping, laughing each to each, 

To bathe the flax, or spread a band 
Of linen in the sun to bleach. 

* ' More than two centuries ago 

They wore this path — a maiden's lane — 
Where now such waves of commerce flow 

As never dazed a burgher's brain. 
Two hundred years ago and more 

Those thrifty damsels, one by one. 
With plump, round arms tlieir linen bore 

To dry in Mana-ha-ta's sun. 



''But now! Behold the altered view; 

No tender sward, no bubbling stream. 
No laughter — was it really true, 

Or but the fancy of a dream? 
Were these harsh walls a byway street, 

This floor of stone a grassy plain? 
Oh ! vanish, modern city street. 

And let us stroll down Maiden Lane ! 



J > 



Just why the people of New Amsterdam called the 
road ''where clover grew," Maiden Lane, is not cer- 
tain. There is no doubt that a merry little stream rip- 
pled its way down the hill that still marks that section 
of the city. Some think that it w^as because tlie young 
women went there to wash the family linen as de- 
scribed in the poem. Others believe that it received its 



68 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

name because it was a favorite walk for young girls 
and their sweethearts. At any rate it has been so 
called all these years, and surely it is one of the most 
pleasing of all our street names. 

It is interesting to know that in Dutch times there 
was a fire department as well as a police force. As 
far back as 1648, there were fire wardens who went 
about the town to see that the chimneys were kept 
clean and safe. The step-roofs made this investiga- 
tion easy. People who were careless were fined, and 
the fines supplied the money to buy ladders, hooks and 
buckets for the firemen. 

There were policemen in New Amsterdam at an 
early date. They were known as the ' ' Ratel-Wacht " 
because they carried rattles to sound an alarm. In 
1658, there was organized a force of six men whose 
duty it was to patrol the streets after dark, to arrest 
thieves, to give warning in case of fire, and to call out 
the hour of the night at the street corners. An interest- 
ing painting, showing the old-time policemen, adorns 
one of the walls of the Trial Room of Police Head- 
quarters at the corner of Center and Broome Streets. 

Stuyvesant, although he had but one leg, was the 
most active of all the Dutch governors. Through his 
efforts, in 1658, a village was established at the upper 
end of the island, where there was good farming land. 
This was called New Harlem, after the city of Haarlem 
in Holland, a place famous for its beautiful gardens. 




Designed by Philip Martini 
Peter Stuyvesant 
Chambers Street front of the Hall of Records 



70 



TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 



Stuyvesant's idea was not only to encourage farming 
but to furnish more amusements to the people of the 
town. As soon as possible, a road was laid out through 
the woods to the new village, and riding parties went 




Stuyvesant's Country House 



on excursions to the then distant settlement on the 
bank of the Harlem River. 

Stuyvesant was fond of the country. He had a 
fine country house and a farm or bouwerie in the neigh- 
borhood of what is now Tenth Street and Third Ave- 
nue. We may be sure that the fiekls were well cared 
for and that the orchards were in fine condition. In 
fact, one pear tree lived and bore fruit for nearly two 
hundred years. The new city grew up around the old 
Stuyvesant tree without disturbing its existence. 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 



71 



What was once an orchard had now become 13th 
Street and Third Avenne, and the busy life of the city 
had taken the place of the quiet farm scenes of long 




Stuyvesant's Pear Tree 



ago. Every care was taken of the old tree, around 
which a high iron railing had been built. There is 
some doubt as to the manner in which the venerable 
tree came to its end. One story relates that in 1867, 
a careless truckman drove his heavy wagon against it 
and crushed it to the ground. Even then it did not 



72 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

entirely disappear, as a portion of the old trunk was 
preserved and was given a final resting-place in the 
hall of the New York Historical Society. 

At the 13th Street corner where the tree spread its 
branches and blossomed for so many years, a bronze 
plate has been placed which tells the following story: 



. 



ON THIS CORNER GREW 
PETRUS STUYVESANT's PEAR TREE 



recalled to holland in 1664 

on his return 

he brought the pear tree 

and planted it 

as his memorial 

^'by which/' said he, '^my name 

MAY BE remembered/' 

THE PEAR TREE FLOURISHED 

AND BORE FRUIT FOR OVER 

TWO HUNDRED YEARS. 

THIS TABLET IS PLACED HERE BY 

THE HOLLAND SOCIETY 

OF NEW YORK 

SEPTEMBER 1890. 



On his estate Stuyvesant erected a church, and on 
this very ground at 10th Street and Second Avenue, 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 73 

stands the present house of worship known as St. 
Mark's in the Bouwerie. This is the oldest church 
site on Manhattan Island occupied at present by a 
church building. The cemetery ground was given to 
the church by one of Stuyvesant's descendants, with 
the understanding that any person who was or who 
had been a slave in the Stuyvesant family, and any 
children of such persons, should be given burial in the 
cemetery, free of all charges. Many of the old Stuy- 
vesant slaves are sleeping their last sleep in the old 
churchyard. 

A little settlement gradually grew up near the 
Stuyvesant Bouwerie. This was partly due to the In- 
dian troubles. Several farmers living outside of the 
city had been attacked and killed. Word was then 
sent out ordering all farmers to come together in vil- 
lages. Thus the hamlet near the Governor's estate 
was formed; and the road to it became known as 
Bouwerie Lane and afterwards as The Bowery. When 
Harlem village was built, Bouwerie Lane was extend- 
ed, and so it formed part of the road along which peo- 
ple made excursions to the upper end of the island. 

Besides his country house, Stuyvesant had a city 
residence which stood near the site of our present 
South Ferry. It was pleasantly situated in a well- 
kept garden near the water's edge and was known as 
The White Hall. The name still lives in that of a 
downtown street. 



74 



TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 



For seventeen years Stuyvesant ruled over the peo- 
ple of New Amsterdam, which had become a thriving 
little town built up in the heart of the wilderness. 
Suddenly, in the summer of 1664, a rumor came from 
Boston that some English ships had arrived there and 



jT^ 












JStuyvesant's Town House, Erected in 1658 
Afterward called The White Hall 

had later sailed on their way to Manhattan. A meet- 
ing of the Burgomasters was called, and it was decided 
that all the citizens should help at strengthening the 
fort, that all the soldiers should parade every day, and 
that everything possible should be done to protect the 
city. It was an anxious time. Soon the big ships of 
war bearing the red flag of England appeared in the 



PETER STUYYESANT, 1647-1664 75 

bay. Then came a boat with a flag of truce and a letter 
from Colonel Nicolls, commander of the expedition, 
claiming the province in the name of the King of Eng- 
land, and promising the people various liberties if the 
place were peaceably surrendered. The English said 
that the land where the Dutch had settled was Eng- 
land's, because she possessed the whole coast from 
Jamestown to Plymouth. The English King at this 
time was Charles II. His brother was James, Duke of 
York, and to him the King granted all the land the 
Dutch had settled and considered as their own. 

Stuyvesant was a soldier and he believed in fight- 
ing. The burgomasters were of different mind. They 
compared the few poor cannons they had, and their 
small force of soldiers, with the big warships carrying 
twice as many well-armed fighting men, and they real- 
ized that they had no chance against the enemy. They 
asked to have Nicolls 's letter read to the citizens w^ho 
were gathered in a large crowTl outside. Stuyvesant 
refused, and in a rage tore up the letter. The people 
heard of this and murmured. In the meantime, some- 
body had gathered up the torn pieces, fitted them to- 
gether and restored the original letter, which was 
then read aloud to the citizens. 

A painting showing Stuyvesant angrily tearing up 
the letter in the presence of the burgomasters, is to be 
seen in the lobby of the Netherland Hotel. 

It must be explained that the people were not any 



76 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

too well pleased either with Stuyvesant or with the 
Dutch West India Company. They had found Stuyve- 
sant harsh and headstrong, and they felt bitter against 
the Company for having left them unprotected. Be- 
sides, Nicolls 's letter was written in a kindly spirit and 
promised plenty of liberty. Still, Stuyvesant wanted 
to fight. The minister spoke to the loyal soldier and 
said, '^Of what avail are our poor guns against their 
broadsides'? It is wrong to shed blood to no purpose. '* 
Then the women and children came, and in tears 
begged that there be no war. At last the strong man 
yielded. No doubt, it almost broke his proud heart. 
^ ' I had rather be carried to my grave, ' ' he murmured, 
'^than surrender.'' . Nevertheless, he did surrender; 
and so the rule of the Dutch came peacefully to an end. 
Stuyvesant was really heart-broken. His proud 
spirit was humbled. He retired to his bouwerie and 
devoted himself to his orchards and his gardens. Not 
long after the surrender, the officials in Holland, wish- 
ing to throw the blame of losing New Amsterdam upon 
somebody, summoned Stuyvesant before them and 
calmly charged him with cowardice. Of course, he eas- 
ily proved that such was not the case. On the contrary, 
lie said, if the Company had sent him enough soldiers 
and guns he might have had some chance of holding 
the town. After such treatment he had no wish to re- 
main in Holland, and as soon as possible he came back 
to his beloved bouwerie, where he passed his days in 




, Peter Stuyvesant's Tombstone 

bt. Mark's Church, Stuyvesant Street, corner Second Avenue. Photographed 1900 



78 TALES OF OLD NEW YORK 

the peaceful enjoyment of his quiet surroundings, 
often inviting the English governor to dine with him. 
At the ripe old age of eighty, in the year 1672, he died. 
He was buried in the family vault within the walls of 
the church near his estate which, as we know, is the 
site of the present St. Mark's, and is still known as St. 
Mark's in the Bouwerie. 

From the eastern wall of the picturesque old 
church facing Second Avenue, under one of the 
stained-glass windows, and surrounded by a mass of 
ivy leaves, a stone tablet greets all those who have a 
moment's time to come and pay their respects to the 
most famous of the old Dutch governors. The simple 
story it tells is as follows: 



IN THIS VAULT LIES BURIED 

PETRUS STUYVESANT 

LATE CAPTAIN GENERAL AND GOVERNOR IN CHIEF 

or AMSTERDAM 

IN NEW NETHERLAND NOW CALLED NEW YORK 

AND THE DUTCH WEST INDIA ISLANDS 

DIED FEBRUARY A. D. 1672 

AGED 80 YEARS. 



Stuy\^esant, like all other men, had his faults; but 
he was patriotic and courageous, and tried his best to 
make New Amsterdam a better and happier place to 



PETER STUYVESANT, 1647-1664 79 

live in than it was when he became governor. Ever 
since, therefore, he has been well thought of, and his 
name has been placed on the list of those we are glad 
to respect. A street and a park have been named after 
him, and statues have been erected to honor his mem- 
ory. One of these statues adorns the building at the 
corner of Exchange Place and Broadway; another, is 
a feature of the Hall of Records. Recently, not far 
from the church where rest his remains, a magnificent 
high school was given his distinguished name. 



CHAPTER VIII 

DUTCH WAYS AND DUTCH HOLIDAYS 

The Dutch were very hospitable, strangers were 
always welcome and were well entertained. Quilting 
bees, apple bees, and husking bees were popular, and 
dancing was a favorite amusement. Every autumn 
there was a kirmess that lasted six weeks, during 
which time cattle were exhibited, farm tools sold, and 
all sorts of needlework and fabrics displayed, while 
athletic sports, dances, and other amusements served 
to entertain the young people. You may be surprised 
to learn that golf was one of the favorite pastimes, 
and it is recorded that people were arrested for play- 
ing it in the streets. 

There were several great festivals: Christmas, 
New Year's Day, Pass or Passover, and Santa Claus, 
or Kriss-Krinkle day. 

Christmas day was observed by wishing everybody 

^'A Merry Christmas," after which the young men 

went out to one of the frozen swamps beyond the town 

to shoot turkeys. 

On New Year's Day, everybody visited everybody 

else. Everyone, including the stranger within the 

80 



82 TALES OF OLD NEW YOEK 

gates, was welcome, and cake and wine were freely 
offered. This hospitable custom was kept up in New 
York until a few years ago, and it is still followed by 
some people. 

On Paas, or Easter Monday, the children cracked 
colored eggs. The fancy and colored egg of the pres- 
ent day is, no doubt, a memento of this once popular 
holiday. 

Of all the festive occasions the most popular, how- 
ever, especially among the children, was Santa Glaus, 
or St. Nicholas day, which was celebrated on Decem- 
ber 6th. St. Nicholas was the town's patron saint, 
and he was believed to take special care of his favorite 
city. He was supposed to be a jolly, rosy-cheeked lit- 
tle old man, with a low-crowned hat, who came in a 
well-laden sleigh drawn by reindeer. Stockings were 
hung up and a hymn was sung, the last four lines of 
which were: 

''Saint Nicholas, my dear good friend, 
To serve you ever was my end; 
If you me now something will give, 
Serve you I will as long as I live.'' 

Gradually, Santa Glaus and Ghristmas time be- 
came associated, and the visit of the former was not 
expected until December 25th. Then there was a 
merry celebration, which good old Dutch custom the 
people of New York have kept up ever since. 



INDEX 



American Museum of Natural 
History, Indian relics, 2, 
49 

Block, Adrian, 21 
Block Island, 22 
Bogardus, Dominie, 36, 42 
Bouwerie Lane, 73 
Bowery, The, 73 
Bowling Green, 48, 53, 54 
Bridge Street, 54 
Broad Street, 54 
Broadway, 54, 62, 64 
Bronx, The, 56 
Brooklyn, 58 

Cattle fair, 53 

Celebration, March 27, 1914, 22 

Cemetery, old Jewish, 56, 57 

Charles II, 75 

Charter granted to certain Hol- 
land merchants, 22 

Church, first building, 34; in the 
fort, 50, 52 

City Hall, 55 

City Hall Park, 65 

City Tavern, 54 

Collegiate Church, 52 



Comforters of the Sick, 27 
Custom House, site of fort, 29 

De Vries, David, 32, 33, 34, 39, 

42, 43, 44 
Dutch church, 29, 52 
Dutch East India Company, 9, 

20 
Dutch holidays, 80 
Dutch West India Company, 23, 

24, 31, 35, 36, 37, 76 

East River, 30, 62 

Fire department, 68 

First traders, 20 

Fort, 27, 28, 29, 37, 44, 46, 47, 

50, 60, 74 
French fur traders, 8 

Gates at Broadway and near 

East River, 62 
Gomez, Estavan, 8 
Governor's Island, 35 

Half Moon, 10, 11, 13, 18 
Harlem, 68 



83 



84 



INDEX 



Hoi land Dames, Daughters of, 

14 
Hudson, Henry, 9, 11, 12, 13, 

14, 15 
Hudson River, discovery of, 11; 

names of, 30. See also 

32, 33 
Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 6 

Indian Monument, 18 

Indian relics, 2, 3, 49 

Indian village, 45 

Indians, inhabitants of Manhat- 
tan Island known as Wap- 
pingers, 2; relics, 2, 3; 
where found, 2; tradition 
regarding first arrival of 
white men, 4; how the In- 
dians received Hudson, 10, 
12, 13; help Block build 
his ship, 21; early trad- 
ing, 22 ; purchase of Man- 
hattan Island, 26; Kieffs 
policy, 38; Indians never 
forget a wrong, 39; faith 
in De Vries, 39; two In- 
dians attacked near the 
"Kolk," 40; Indian boy's 
revenge, 40; Kieft attacks 
Indians at Pavonia, 42; 
general war, 43; Indians 
remember De Vries's kind 
acts, 43 ; expedition 
against Indian village at 
Stamford, 46 ; Indians 
smoke pipe of peace, 47, 
53 ; protest against sale of 
liquor, 48; effect of wars. 



59; peace for ten years, 
62; war breaks out anew, 
62. 

James, Duke of York, 75 
Jewish cemetery, 57 

Kieft, William (1638-47), 37-58 
Kirmess, 53 

Maiden Lane, 65, 66 
Manhattan Island, meaning of 
name, 2, 6; purchase of, 
frontispiece, 26 
Map, 1642, 50, 51 
Maypole, 54 
Memorials : 

Memorial window 

Henry Hudson, N. Y. His- 
torical Society, 14 
Monumefits 

American Indian, 18 
Henry Hudson, Spuyten 

Duyvil, 15, 16 
Verrazzano, Battery Park, 7 
Paintings 

First Police Force, Police 
Headquarters, Centre 
Street, 68 
Purchase of Manhattan Is- 
land, Hall of Records, 27; 
Hotel Netherland, 27 
Stuyvesant Tearing up 
Nicolls's Letter, Nether- 
land Hotel, 75 
Statues 

Henry Hudson, 52 Broad- 
way, 15 



INDEX 



85 



Stnyvesant, 52 Broadway, 
79; Hall of Records, 69, 
79 
Tablets 

Block, Adrian, 41 Broad- 
way, 21 

City Hall, 73 Pearl Street, 

Church in the Fort, Fifth 
Avenue and 29th Street, 
52 
Comforters of the Sick, 
church. Second Avenue, 
near Seventh Street, 29 

Dutch church, Second Ave- 
nue, near Seventh Street, 
29 

First habitations, 41 Broad- 
way, 21 

First vessel built by 
Europeans, 41 Broadway, 
21 

Fort, vestibule of Custom 
House, 28; rotunda of 
Custom House, 30; Col- 
lector's room, Custom 
House, 30 

Michaelius, Rev. Jonas, 
church Second Avenue and 
Seventh Street, 29 

Minuit, Peter, church Sec- 
ond Avenue, near Seventh 
Street, 29 

Old Jewish Cemetery, New 
Bowery, 56 

Stuyvesant's pear tree, 13th 
Street and Third Avenue, 
71, 72 



Stuyvesant's tombstone. Si. 
Mark's Church, 77, 78 
Tapestry 
Cattle Fair — Bowling- Green, 
McAlpin Hotel, 53 
Minuit, Peter (1626-1632), 24-31 
Mohawk Indians, 41, 42 

New Amsterdam, 30; as it ap- 
peared in Kieft's time, 50; 
view of, 63; surrendered 
to the English, 75 
New Netherland, 23, 30 
New Netherland (ship), 24 
New York Historical Society, 14 
Nicolls, Colonel, 75 
North River, 30 

Onrust, The, 22, 30, 38 

Parade, The, 54 
Patroon, 31 
Pavonia, 42 
Pearl Street, 64, 65 
Police department, 68 

Raritan Indians, 39 
Ratel-wacht, 67, 68 
Restless, The, 21 
Road to the ferry, 64, 65 
Roelantsen, Adam (first school- 
master), 35 

St. Mark's in the Bouwerie, 73 
Schoolmaster (see Roelantsen) 
South River, 30 
Stadt buys, 55 
Staten Island, 39, 44 



86 



INDEX 



Van Twiller, Walter (1633 
1637), 32-36 



States General, 23 

Stone Street, 64 

Streets, why they are crooked, Ven-azzano, 6, 7, 8 

63 
Stuyvesant, Peter, 59-79 



Wall, The, 61, 63 
Wall Street, 61 
Wallabout, 26 
Tiger, The, destroyed by fire. Walloons, 24, 34 

21 Wampnm, 38 

T Maag'de Paatze (see Maiden Wappingers, 1 

Lane) Worship, first place of, 27 

Tobacco planting, 34 | Whitehall Street, 73 

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